Swimming pool landscape
Pool landscaping ideas: The best materials to use in and around a backyard pool
(Image credit: Breegan Jane)
Good pool landscaping ideas need careful thought, planning and preparation.
But worry not. We break down all you need to know about the different types of pool landscaping, from pool landscaping with rocks to pool ideas for privacy and shade.
The materials used – from paving, aggregates and decking, to decorative edging and the hard materials employed for in-ground pools – add texture and character to a backyard pool garden, marking out the structure and leading the eye through to the swimming pool and beyond.
The best time to undertake a pool landscape redesign is in winter, when the backyard is dormant. But the summer months are the time to analyze the ways in which you use the space and to understand what you need from your future design.
These backyard ideas will help you find the best ways to landscape around a pool and explain what you need to consider before you begin.
Pool landscaping ideas
From putting greens to privacy, these landscaping ideas add major value (and fun) to your pool area.
1. Plant on an island
(Image credit: Brittany Farinas, House of One / Lifestyle Production Group)
Your pool landscaping ideas don't have to be relegated to the sides of the pool. For an original idea that evokes a tropical resort, bring the vegetation into the pool by stationing it on an island structure right in the middle of water, like at this Florida home by Brittany Farinas of House of One Interiors . Want to go full paradise vibes? Use palms.
2. Use lighting to enhance the landscape
(Image credit: Designer: The Fox Group Photographer: Lindsay Salazar)
Lighting is the perfect complement to pool landscaping. It can emphasize certain features (try uplighting shrubs and trees) and enhance the overall ambience of a newly landscaped space.
String lights are a pool lighting idea that's more about form than function, but the ambience a set of bistro lights will add to your pool area is second to none.
If you're lucky enough to have a pool house, use it as an anchor point for your string lights, and stretch them above the length of the pool, like The Fox Group did, above. No pool house? Try filling the bottom of whisky barrel planters with cement, then inserting a wooden post to create a semi-permanent anchor point for lights. Don't forget to finish off the planters with soil and your favorite annuals.
3. Use planters to add personal style
(Image credit: Thomas Guy Interiors / Haylei Smith)
Both your planters and the plants you put in them are a chance to add your personal style to your pool patio ideas.
'We like to include banana leaf trees and orchids to add a touch of nature, and high-design planters can be a creative way to show off one’s own personal style,' says Lance Thomas of Louisiana-based Thomas Guy Interiors . Above, Thomas chose organic planters and unstructured ferns to complement the contemporary, minimalist pool design.
4.
Include a putting green(Image credit: Breegan Jane)
Your pool landscaping ideas can offer more than just beauty and a bit of shade. Add recreation to the list by installing a putting green adjacent to your pool patio, like interior designer Breegan Jane did at her client's Southern California home, where the goal of the outdoor space was to 'surprise and delight.'
5. Use landscaping for privacy
(Image credit: Brittany Farinas, House of One Interiors / Lifestyle Production Group)
Looking for a pool fence idea that adds privacy and beauty? Your landscaping can do the job if you plant high trees or bushy shrubs around the perimeter of your pool or property, a la this Florida property.
Another idea we love from this photo? The cabana. When you're brainstorming your landscaping and pool area ideas, don't forget to include a shady spot to retreat to when you're tired of sunbathing.
6. Invest in LED lighting around a pool
(Image credit: Future / Mark Bolton )
When considering pool landscaping, smart pool lighting ideas certainly have their part to play.
A well-planned lighting scheme can do wonders for your backyard pool and shouldn't be an afterthought.
'For small cascades and fountains, direct underwater spotlights onto the plinth of flowing water, or run a color-changing LED strip along the rill from which the water emerges,' suggests Sally Storey, lighting director at John Cullen.
An impressive backyard pool is hugely enhanced when illuminated at night. Underwater lights can be halogen, LED or fiber optic, but they must be encased in waterproof, IP-rated fixtures.
Alternatively, solar garden lighting ideas, such as bulbs hidden in between evergreens or in containers create a soft glow.
7. Pick the perfect pool deck landscaping
(Image credit: Future / Mark Bolton Photography)
Poolside deck ideas provide versatile and cost-effective ways to extend your living area into the outdoors. What's more, decking creates the perfect focal point for a low-maintenance yard, and is cheaper and easier to use than paving.
At its best, a sturdy, water-resistant timber deck is a handsome, hard-wearing pool area idea that complements most backyard pool settings.
But decks don’t only look good: other advantages include being relatively lightweight in comparison to stone, quick and easy to install and forgiving. Plus, timber can be cut to size to fit perfectly round awkward corners – perfect if you don't have a rectangular pool.
8. Add shade and privacy with ivy
(Image credit: Future / Armelle Habib)
In an ideal world our pool areas would be private sanctuaries where we could swim, entertain and relax away from prying eyes.
Yet, for many pool owners, the reality is quite different. Spending time outdoors can be like living in a goldfish bowl because there is nothing to screen their backyard pool from neighboring windows.
Smart garden shade ideas are great if you want to shield your pool area from the neighborhood and create shady coverage at the same time.
A good place to start is with your pool fence or property boundary.
If you have an existing fence or trellis, plant ivy near the base to create a living privacy wall. No fence? Plant a deciduous hedge, or trail ivy up a wall using a trellis.
9. Landscape with rocks, trees and overgrown grasses
(Image credit: Future / © Roy Westwood)
If you are not one for a traditional pool area, then consider a more natural landscape for your outdoor swim.
Today’s natural pools – or swimming ponds as they are often known – are welcomed into the border garden, whether in a formal setting of lawns, surrounded by flowers and grasses, or even made to look like a natural garden pond.
For a rugged appearance, take inspiration from creative rock garden ideas and lay down plenty of misshapen rocks, pebbles and limestone. The main highlight of a rock garden is the quiet, zen-like aesthetic they add to your backyard.
10. Highlight a rectangular pool with flower beds and borders
(Image credit: Future / Alistair Nicholls)
Whether you like raised garden bed ideas or you prefer planting straight into the ground, flower beds can make exceptional dividers for a garden path around a backyard pool.
This is especially the case when you bring tall, architectural plants into the mix. This smart garden path idea is a beautiful way to establish the boundary of a walkway and to zone off your pool area from the rest of the garden.
What's more, it will continue to offer color and structure throughout the seasons, even when the pool is not in use.
11. Set up a seating area around the pool
(Image credit: Future / Mark Bolton)
When considering pool patio ideas and other hard landscaping materials for a pool, your first priority will be to establish the functional spaces, from terraces and patios, to paths and borders around the swimming pool.
The expanse of an area and its use will dictate which materials are most suitable.
For instance, a hard standing for a table and chairs needs to be flat and stable, and you might want to keep granular aggregates, such as gravel or bark, away from the pool so they are not carried into the water.
12.
Install a non-slip surface (Image credit: Future / Polly Eltes)
While a pebble-dashed floor isn't entirely non-slip, it is certainly a less slippery option in comparison to stone slabs, pavers and decking.
Opt for an entirely smooth surface to avoid any nasty cuts on the feet and if your pool is indoors, be sure to include a professional drainage system.
Proper drainage will ensure that the water in your in-ground pool remains clean and protects your surrounding yard, deck, patio, landscaping, and home from possible water damage, erosion, and debris.
Plus, no one wants to be constantly mopping up water.
13. Landscape around a pool with grass
(Image credit: Kimberley Harrison / Kathryn MacDonald)
Your lawn serves as a huge source of air conditioning for your garden and also releases oxygen and simultaneously captures dust, keeping you and your family healthy, so it's a perfect option for near a pool area.
To reap the many benefits to the full, keep your lawn as healthy as possible and your lawn pays you back for all the work you put into it.
What’s more, your lawn needs plenty of water to encourage the roots to grow deep into the ground, and the best way to achieve this is to water deep. Try to water heavily, on an infrequent basis.
Plus, you’ll want to make sure the chlorine from the pool doesn’t sit on top for too long.
14. Use concrete as a modern alternative to stone slabs
(Image credit: Future / Matthew Williams)
Lusting after a modern industrial landscape? Durable, easy to clean and heat-retaining, there’s a lot to love about concrete flooring in a modern backyard.
Perfect for nailing the urban trend, it works best in contemporary spaces, but can also be mixed with plenty of greenery and colored foliage for a striking contrast.
While the use of concrete has become commonplace, it was once seen as an inferior material in comparison to stone. But if we can forget about it as a cheap substitute we discover that it has its own intrinsic qualities, as interesting as natural materials and very much more versatile.
Concrete is quite simply a blend of aggregates – sand and gravel or crushed stone – bonded together in a dense, stone-like mass by hardened cement.
This material has made possible incredible structures and surfaces. It is the cement that gives concrete its dull-gray appearance, and so the secret with in-situ garden paving is to remove the cement from the surface before it sets.
15. Mix materials around a pool
(Image credit: Belgard)
Large patio pavers have been gaining popularity in California in recent years, and it is easy to see why.
If you're wondering how to make your garden feel more modern without embarking on an overly expensive redesign, then you should seriously consider employing oversized patio pavers for the landscaping around your pool.
As far as backyard landscaping ideas go, large pavers are the opposite of discreet and that's exactly why we're seeing more of them in outdoor paving designs.
Bold and immediately noticeable, oversized paving slabs create an instant indoor-outdoor effect, because they emit the luxury look of indoor tiles – just outdoors.
What is best to put around a pool?
(Image credit: Future / Jody Stewart)
Paving slabs are one of the most common garden materials for landscaping around a pool. Paving or pavers are readily available as individual blocks, in a wide range of shapes, colors and sizes that can be laid in several pattern configurations. You can also buy specialist kits, such as circles, for patios.
Mostly made from pre-cast concrete or reconstituted stone, pavers can also be used for garden paths, terraces, steps and patios. They are also ideal for adding a large expanse in the same color/material. A matching path and patio area can be used to lead the eye through the garden or to an adjacent pool house.
What's more, pavers are mostly affordable, readily available and fairly straightforward to lay. Small pavers can be teased into curves, tight corners and organic shapes, and there are a good selection of edgings and borders available to complete the look.
Be aware that large pavers will need cutting.
Tailor your design to limit the number of cuts at planning stage, and hire a slab and walling block splitter to ensure a neat job.
Jennifer is the Digital Editor at Homes & Gardens. Having worked in the interiors industry for a number of years, spanning many publications, she now hones her digital prowess on the 'best interiors website' in the world. Multi-skilled, Jennifer has worked in PR and marketing, and the occasional dabble in the social media, commercial and e-commerce space. Over the years, she has written about every area of the home, from compiling design houses from some of the best interior designers in the world to sourcing celebrity homes, reviewing appliances and even the odd news story or two.
With contributions from
- Kaitlin MaddenExecutive Editor, Homes & Gardens
11 Simple Pool Landscaping Ideas That Fit Your Budget
If you’re reading this, then you’re probably looking for pool landscaping ideas to give your swimming pool a new look.
Maybe something more modern, or vibrant and futuristic. But the only thing is, pool landscaping is expensive right?
Not necessarily.
There are plenty of affordable and simple pool landscaping ideas that you can use. It’s all just a matter of how creative and resourceful you’re feeling.
Some of these pool landscaping ideas take advantage of what you already have lying around the house. Others come with a small cost upfront.
But no need to call the pros – these ideas are very DIY. They’re easy to do, take less than a day, and can be done on a budget.
So if you’re ready to create a fresh and gorgeous new space for you, your family, and friends, keep reading. In this post, we show 11 simple pool landscaping ideas that you can start using right now.
A few things to do before you start pool landscaping:
- Sweep and clean the pool deck
- Rake and mow your lawn
- Pull out any weeds in potted plants, gardens, or the grass
- Remove dead plants
1.
Around the pool string lightingImage via Advantage DMSWhile they look great inside, they look even better in your backyard. String lights add just the right amount of brightness to any setting.
For decorating your backyard, choose white LED Christmas lights over large bulbs.
They’re lighter, easier to set up, and WAY more energy efficient. A winning combination for illuminating your patio with a beautiful, ambient glow year-round — without driving up your energy bill.
IMPORTANT: We recommend setting up lights against the walls of your pool enclosure or home, far away from the water. It’s safer, faster, and reduces most of the hazards that come with stringing lights over the pool (possible electric shock, knocking them down when cleaning).
2. Underwater LED pool lighting
Image via UltimatePoolGuideLooking to brighten up the inside of your swimming pool? Consider LED pool lights. They come in a variety of colors, offer quick installation, and drastically lower your energy bill.
Especially if you’re replacing halogen or incandescent bulbs.
LED pool lights emit a cooler, brighter, and more vivid range of lighting. Lighting that can adapt to the occasion – whether you’re sitting poolside on a summer night sipping a drink, or lounging by the water for brunch.
Some LED pool lights can even change color, which helps you get festive for the holidays, or set the mood for warm, peaceful midnight swims.
Related: 7 Cheap Ways To Heat Your Pool
3. Fireplace lighting
Image via PhotoMontanaLooking for a simpler, more natural lighting source for your pool? There’s nothing that beats a firepit. It’s an active, breathing source of light that doubles as a stunning accent piece.
It catches attention, illuminates your backyard, and keeps everyone nearby warm.
Really, what better way is there to cozy up on a chilly night than by huddling around a fire? It’s relaxing, comfortable, and a tradition as old as history itself.
No matter what time of the year, a poolside firepit adds the perfect ambiance to your backyard pool.
4. Stone walkway to the pool
Image via Home and Garden Design IdeasNeed a better way to get to your pool other than walking over grass? Make a stone slab walkway.
You only need enough stones to reach from the door to your pool. And there’s really no limit to how creative you can get.
Choose different color slabs for an eye-catching mosaic look, or match the tone of your pool deck for a more subtle pathway. Stone slab walkways let you add a touch of rustic elegance to your backyard in just minutes.
Plus, they help keep your pool deck and water cleaner.
Related: 12 Useful DIY Pool Cleaning & Maintenance Tips
5. Rock garden
Image via DLCDMVNot quite ready to put your green thumb to work? Need to fill a space around the pool?
Make your own river rock garden. It’s as easy and gathering a few bags of river rocks, and filling up a bed of dirt with them.
The main strength of rock gardens is the quiet, yet impactful contrast they add to your backyard.
Choose a single spot for your rock garden, or create an accent border of river rocks around your pool deck.
Related: 33 Backyard Inground Pool Ideas For All Budgets
6. Recycled garden planters
Image via Lera BlogIn the mood to do some planting but don’t have any pots? Recycle your worn-out car tires – they’re the perfect substitute.
If you’re due for a new set of tires soon anyway, take advantage of this pool landscaping idea. It’s a great, eco-friendly alternative to throwing them in a landfill.
Grab a few tires, paint them, and stack them. From there all you need is dirt and plants. The rest is up to you.
7. Add some accent plants
Image via How To LandscapingYou might already have a plant or two sitting in your backyard. So why not add a few more to liven up your swimming pool?
Poolside plants add lush textures and vibrant splashes of color that give your pool a calming, peaceful feel — as if you were in your own private island.
But you don’t have to start big with a full garden, a few potted plants will do.
Choose full sun plants that don’t shed a lot of leaves. They’re resilient, low maintenance, and produce the least debris.
Some of the best pool landscaping plants to include are:
- Palm trees
- Live oaks
- Aloe vera
- Octopus agave
- Red justicia
- Weeping dalea
Related: 36 Pool Friendly Plants | The Best Plants For Around The Pool
8. Ornamental grass borders
Image via Custom Lawn ScapesNeed something to balance out that river rock garden? Ornamental grass borders are a perfect choice.
They’re neutral, yet eye-catching, tough, and fit in pretty much anywhere.
Plant a few next to each other to form a wall, or use them sparingly as accent pieces across the pool deck.
9. Wooden pallet furniture
Image via Recycled ThingsWant to add furniture to your backyard, but don’t have a big budget? Consider repurposing some old wooden pallets.
Yes, the same kind of pallets you see on the floors of warehouses, hardware stores, and shipping yards.
What’s great about pallet furniture is the amount of freedom it gives you. For starters, you don’t need a lot of tools to make it.
You can stack two together to make a table, cut one in half for a bench, or create a “deck” by lining them on the floor. From there, just add a splash of color, a few cushions, and your look is complete.
10. Wall of privacy hedges or plants
Image via The DecoistNeed a bit more privacy in your pool, but aren’t ready to call the fence-builders? Make a privacy wall of foliage instead.
A wall of trees or shrubs adds the perfect mix of décor and privacy.
Here are a few good trees, plants, and shrubs for privacy hedges:
- Norway Spruce
- Colorado Blue Spruce
- Green Giant Arborvitae
- Emerald Green Arborvitae
- Bamboo
11.
Already have a garden by the pool? Give it a charming glow by lining the inner edges of the borders with rope lights.
With this simple addition, your garden won’t only look more attractive, it’ll be more noticeable at night too. And that adds a whole new mood to your aquatic, backyard getaway.
12. Declutter, decrease
The easiest way to start landscaping around your pool is by reducing and decluttering. Or in other words, getting rid of all the stuff that doesn’t need to be there.
In the process of cleaning and clearing up junk, you’ll discover new opportunities for decorating the backyard. And you’ll probably even find a few things you can put to use.
So if you’re not quite sure where to start with your pool landscaping ideas, start by throwing away what you don’t need.
If you liked this post, you might also like:
15 Cheap Ways To Upgrade Your Swimming Pool
7 Best Ways To Lower Your Swimming Pool Bills
5 Surprising Reasons To Use a Pool Heat Pump In The Summer
Related posts:
Art painting of pools.
Amazing, practical. Museum quality. / Studio Aroma of Color Artists, sculptors and gilders of Studio "Aroma of Color" are happy to welcome you on our website!
Call! We are happy to answer all your questions and give professional advice! +7 (499) 490-78-07
Request a call from an artist consultant
Dream pool. Harmonious relaxation space
The pool is where we relax and unwind. During the rest, we want to see beautiful natural landscapes around us that set us up for relaxation. All this can be achieved using such a modern and sophisticated decor option as painting.
It looks great and natural in pools and perfectly protects walls from water. True, the durability of the coating, as well as its beauty, will depend solely on the professionalism of the masters who will undertake to paint the walls of the room. nine0006
As for the choice of sketches for painting, the main thing here will be not only the total area of the wall allotted for the composition, but also the distance of the walls of the room from the pool itself. If the distance allows, then on the wall there can be full-fledged architectural snags with an air-spatial perspective.
Pool areas are characterized by long, blank walls and little (or no) natural light. And just the painting "trick" will be very relevant in a room without windows - it will help create the illusion of space and light. Also, thanks to the "trick" you can hide the doors, continue any real objects. nine0006
Wall painting in the pool can be both an independent creation and a continuation of the interior decor. So, for example, for the antique style, plots are used that reflect that era and a special stylized antique finish.
Copies of paintings by any artists can be used as sketches for painting. However, the most popular motifs for wall painting in the pool are the sea and its inhabitants. Such an image fits well into the interior of the pool and has an obvious relaxing effect on those present. Motifs depicting juicy southern nature, the jungle and their inhabitants are also very popular. nine0006
If you need to paint the walls in the swimming pool of a children's institution, then, as a rule, the theme of the plot is the underwater world of the ocean and its inhabitants. And you can use any fabulous motifs, one way or another connected with the sea, the ocean. Pirate sailboats and treasure chests will be very relevant here... Children are always happy to see such famous characters from fairy tales as the Golden Fish, the Little Mermaid, the Swan Princess on the walls. It is quite obvious that the children who will enter the room with an unusual painting and familiar characters will be in a bright cheerful mood! nine0006
3D painting has become very fashionable lately. This is a three-dimensional image in which the interior changes completely. You seem to become part of this picture and find yourself in a completely different reality. This type of painting is also ideal for small rooms – the painting seems to merge with the entire interior and, if necessary, gives a complete feeling of spaciousness or immerses you in the very era in which the decor is made, continuing it in the painting…
A combination of different technologies at work provides almost limitless opportunities for the implementation of author's ideas. Often painting with brushes is combined with spray painting or using an airbrush. nine0006
Having previously prepared a special primer, the craftsmen proceed directly to work on the painting. As a rule, special acrylic paints for wet rooms are used for such painting. they are more durable, their colors do not fade, they are resistant to high humidity, as well as to direct exposure to water. In addition, acrylic paints are resistant to detergents and disinfectants, without which it is not possible to maintain cleanliness in pools. At the end of the work, the painting is covered with a layer of protective durable varnish. nine0006
Whatever technology we use, and whatever sketch the customer chooses for painting, our main goal is to get a spectacular and harmonious pattern that will delight the owners, give the room coziness and comfort, which is so necessary for the pool area, and also perfectly protect against water walls themselves.
Our advice: We do not recommend gluing Frescoes in wet areas.
Over time, the top lacquer coating may peel off and the Fresco will become unusable. nine0006
Order wall painting! When painting, high-quality foreign-made paints are used, specially designed for swimming pools, baths and saunas. After complete drying of the paint layer, the walls can be washed.
Call! We will be happy to tell you about the technological intricacies and give professional advice!
Ornamental and plot compositions created by masters of Aromat Tsveta Studio are always the fruit of joint creativity of the customer, the interior designer and the artist himself. The aesthetic significance of such wall paintings cannot be overestimated - the imitation of a fresco worn from time to time creates an atmosphere of noble antiquity, picturesque perspectives visually expand the space, special ornaments emphasize the stylistic orientation of the pool interior. nine0006
Vibrit Ozil Summer Landscape Dominican Republic Caribbean — Stock Video © TheJayMan #377434924
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